Jammu: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday wrote to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, seeking his support for three private member bills to be tabled by legislators from her party in the upcoming Budget Session of the Assembly.
The bills forwarded by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MLAs seek regularisation and recognition of property rights of residents on public land; special provisions for regularisation of ad hoc, daily-wagers, need-based and other temporary workers; and prohibition of alcohol in the Union Territory.
Mufti wrote identical letters to Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma of the BJP, Congress state chief Tariq Hameed Karra, CPI(M) leader MY Tarigami and People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Gani Lone, a PDP leader said.
The Budget Session of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly is scheduled to begin on March 3.
On February 23, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather said it was improper to give unwarranted publicity to the notices of questions, bills, resolutions and other similar matters connected with the business of the House and asked members to desist from breach of privilege.
In her one-page letter to the chief minister, Mufti said, “I write to you at a time when the people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to face unprecedented challenges, particularly since the developments of 2019. The last few years have been immensely difficult for our people, who have had to endure political uncertainty, economic stagnation, and social distress.”
“Unfortunately, these hardships persist, and the collective voice of our people demands attention and meaningful action. While we may differ in political ideology and approach, I firmly believe that there are issues of common interest that transcend partisan lines,” she added.
A former chief minister of the erstwhile state, Mufti said the welfare of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the preservation of their rights and the protection of their unique identity were matters that concerned everyone.
“In such testing times, it is imperative that we rise above our differences and come together for the greater good,” she said, inviting Abdullah’s attention to the three “crucial bills”.
“These bills seek to address urgent concerns affecting the daily lives of our people and uphold their aspirations. The details of these legislative proposals have been shared with the office of the speaker,” Mehbooba said.
The PDP supremo expressed hope that Abdullah would consider these bills not merely as initiatives of one party but steps towards addressing the people’s collective grievances.
“I assure you that our party would extend full political and legislative support to the government in any of its initiatives on these subjects of common and immediate concern, should it introduce such legislation,” she said, expressing hope for a “positive response” to move forward together.
“Our political paths may differ but the challenges faced by our people are shared, and so must be our resolve to address them,” she added.
Separately Mufti also said that the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly should be a forum for open debates and not a setting where someone dictates “acceptable topics”.
“Quite surprising to see a BJP legislator attempting to influence the Speaker of the assembly about what should or shouldn’t be permitted in the House. The Speaker’s role is to maintain fairness and order, not to cater to any single party’s agenda,” PDP chief and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a post on X.
She was referring to reports on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Sunil Sharma’s remarks that his party has requested Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather not to allow “anti-national and unconstitutional” resolutions, bills or questions in the House.
“The question arises who determines what qualifies as anti-national or unconstitutional? The Jammu and Kashmir assembly should be a forum for open debate, not a setting where anyone dictates a list of acceptable topics,” Mufti said.
